Meet the Creek

A narrow ribbon of green and blue, Johnson Creek is one of the resources that makes the Portland area a wonderful place to live.

Johnson Creek flows 26 miles from its headwaters near the Sandy River to its confluence with the Willamette River, passing through four cities (Gresham, Portland, Milwaukie, and Happy Valley) and two counties (Clackamas and Multnomah) along the way.

Johnson Creek Facts

The Johnson Creek Watershed is 54 sq miles in area. 54% of the watershed is residential, 33% is rural, 8% is commercial/industrial, and 5% is parks and open space.

Johnson Creek is polluted with e. Coli bacteria, DDT, Dieldrin, high temperatures and other toxins. It is not safe to drink or play in.

The creek flow on a typical summer day is about 1cfs, enough to fill milk jugs stretching from Gresham to the Capitol in Salem.

The yearly creek flow would fill enough milk jugs to stretch from Gresham to the White House, and back... 100 across!

A watershed is typically defined as the area of land where all precipitation drains to a common water body, such as a river or lake. Watersheds are not made of water, but of land. This means that the boundaries of a watershed are determined by the shape of the land that surrounds them. Water runs downstream, so buttes and ranges often form the boundaries of watersheds.

Johnson Creek flows into the Willamette River and therefore is a part of the Willamette River Watershed, which in turn is part of the Columbia River Watershed.

The Johnson Creek Watershed is comprised of several smaller watersheds, called subwatersheds. These subwatersheds include Kelley Creek, Crystal Springs, Sunshine Creek, Butler Creek, Veterans Creek, and Badger Creek.

Salmon and trout are a part of our community’s history. Salmon runs in Johnson Creek helped feed Clackamas Indians, as well as the farmers and others who settled here later. There are stories told of salmon runs so plentiful the fish could be caught with a pitchfork, and were sold for ten cents. Some people say that the creek was so thick with fish during the fall runs that you could walk across the creek on the fishes’ backs. This is not the case today.

Salmonid species sighted in Johnson Creek

Chinook salmon
Coho salmon
Resident cutthroat
Resident and anadromous steelhead

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department Spawning Surveys and Fish Inventories tell a story of a species on the brink of extinction. These fish, once so vital a part of our region’s ecosystem and economy, have dwindled to very low levels.

From tens of thousands of fish spawning in Johnson Creek 150 years ago, Johnson Creek’s fish population has dropped to 17 Chinook, 5 Coho, 101 Cutthroat, and only one Steelhead/Rainbow trout, according to the 2001-2002 fish inventories.

There are certainly more salmonid species using the creek for spawning and rearing than have been counted, but it is clear that the salmonid population in Johnson Creek has dropped precipitously.

Currently, only a partial database of information exists on wildlife and their habitats in the watershed. Although black-tailed deer and coyotes are the only large mammals that can still be found on occasion, black bear, bobcat, cougar, wolf, fox and elk were once common. Other mammals can also be found, including beaver, river otter, and raccoons.

Backyard Wildlife
Visit our bulletin board to read up on wildlife sightings as reported by people out in the watershed. Post your own sightings too!

Birds are the most abundant wildlife living in the watershed, including songbirds, ducks, geese, herons, hawks, owls and an occasional eagle. There are also some sensitive species that still call the watershed their home such as three types of salamanders, red-legged frogs, and painted turtles, to name a few. With recent reports of fish sightings we know that sturgeon are utilizing the mouth of Johnson Creek.

The Johnson Creek Watershed Council and its partners have developed a Watershed Action Plan to help identify and prioritize restoration and protection programs for Johnson Creek. The plan includes a watershed assessment based on the numerous studies and reports on Johnson Creek. This assessment is probably the most detailed, scientific, and complete description of the watershed ever created.

The plan also contains an analysis of the most important steps need to restore the watershed's health and a prioritized list of projects. The plan also includes a process for how to rank and compare different projects and programs. When projects are added to the list, the JCWC can determine how important the project is, what funding is available, and when it should be implemented.